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I only disagree with his characterization of people like Mitt Romney as “RINOs.”

They aren’t RINOs. They’re Republicans to the core.

We are watching an entire political party being consigned to the trash heap of history … because the Republican Party has hardly any supporters left outside the Beltway.

They aren’t RINOs. They’re Republicans to the core.

That is a valid point from a historical perspective. Nelson Rockefeller wasn't a RINO in his time, he was a liberal Republican. So were Elliot Richardson, Lowell Weicker, John Heinz, Chuck Percy, etc.

I still like the RINO term because the laws and legal decisions have been shaped over the last 150 years to make it next to impossible to replace either major party. So, we do what has been done historically, forced party realignment. It is a glacial process, and it started with Goldwater, was catalyzed with Reagan, and ascended under Trump.

I do not know if Trump will be able to make MAGA a permanent institutionalized dominant force in the party that will outlast him, but the numerous Never-Trumpers either heading to the sidelines to throw mud (Ryan, Flake, Kinzinger), just getting beaten to do same (Cheney), or outright joining the Democrats (Jeffords, Specter, Crist) tells me he is doing something right.

While Democrats don't typically use the term DINO, they most certainly read members out of the Democrat Party, even if they embrace the values that were Democrat mainstream a generation or two ago, first, the entire Dixiecrat wing is gone (George Wallace), then the pro-US labor folks (Scoop Jackson), then the financially responsible (William Proxmire), certainly the pro-life Democrats (Bob Casey Sr., Ella Grasso).

Realignment is a thing. We get to use the term RINO, and get the Romneys and the Christies on the defensive with it because we ARE the dominant force in the Republican Party, and must now assert ourselves as same, knowing full-well that there will always be folks like Lindsay Graham who will pay lip-service but not really buy in out of political necessity. Such must be tolerated to a degree, but never trusted. To such end we must be able to define MAGA principles that should be adhered to, making the term RINO is useful and accurate.

They are RINOs. They represented the party’s majority at one time but clearly no longer do and haven’t for quite a while. They are corrupt being completely beholden to the donor class and often in bed with Democrats. Parties are ever shifting coalitions. They are not static. They do change over time.

Hell, the Democrats used to be the party of decentralized power, balanced budgets and staying out of foreign wars until Wilson came along and started to change that.

Trump is right. He pulled back the curtain and showed conservatives that the establishment and leaders in the GOP party are nothing more than democrats who a bit more subtle in their rhetoric.

The Romneys are DSRs. “Democrat-supporting Republicans. They choose to run for office with the (R) by their name in order to appeal to the constituency in their district or state. However, when it comes to policy they support more of the leftist agenda than that of conservatives.

DSRs also work to sabotage the work of those with true conservative policy goals. Those such as Romney (and McCain was one as well) will campaign with all the right slogans having been taught by consultants what phrases and issues will bring in the votes, but abandon any campaign promises once elected. (also see McCain).

These people have snookered conservatives time and time again with glossy campaign ads and fiery speeches and you really have to dig into the back-ground of newcomers on the political scene and pay attention to the history of not only the candidate but also their campaign managers and consultants in order not to be fooled again. For instance, if their consultants are of Bill Krystol type you can be assured their conservative values are as thin as their campaign postcards which fill your mailbox in the weeks before November.